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Magento 2 Commerce (Enterprise Edition) Specific Features

Magento 2introduces a plethora of new improvements especially in case of the Commerce edition formerly known as Enterprise Edition. Although both Open Source and Commerce editions provide better ecommerce opportunities than 1.X, Magento 2 Commerce incorporates some exclusive features. Below, you will see their description as well as comparison with Community Edition of Magento 2.

In our book “Magento DIY,” you can find a detailed guide to turning Magento 1 CE into EE. With the aid of third party extensions, services, and tools, it is possible to get all Enterprise features on the basis of Community Edition. Such approach significantly reduces expenditures necessary for running an ecommerce website, but requires more time and effort to get started. In case of Magento 2 Community Edition, we already have a reliable tool that adds EE features to CE. The tool is called Improved Import for Magento 2 and it allows you to utilized scheduled cron job import. The feature is available in Magento 2 Enterprise Edition out of the box, but Magento 2 Community Edition lacks this enhancement. Luckily, our module adds the desired functionality to Magento 2 CE along with other features, such as category import or product attribute values import on the fly. For further details, check this post: The Improved Import / Export Magento 2 Extension by Firebear. Now, let’s return to our main topic and figure out what other features are unique to Magento 2 EE.

Magento 2 Commerce Latest Features

Below, you can find the latest features of Magento Commerce (Enterprise).

Magento Commerce 2.2.4

Magento Commerce 2.2.4 is all about better shopping experience and, as a result, reduced cart abandonment. Another consequence of the new version release is increased average order value. The improved experience is based on integrated modules by Amazon, Klarna, and Vertex. They enhance the default checkout procedure making it more flexible, transparent, and buyer-oriented.

Amazon Pay

The long-awaited feature is now available in Magento commerce. Meet the Amazon Pay – the number one tool on your way to a faster checkout process. Now, 300 million active Amazon customer account holders get the ability to leverage a fast and easy way to check out on Magento websites. Payment and address information stored in Amazon accounts can be used for the checkout purposes of Magento 2. The feature is device-agnostic so that both desktop and mobile users can enjoy the faster checkout providing you with higher conversion rates.

Advanced fraud protection and payment guarantee policy are merchant-oriented features of the update. Besides, the new functionality includes the support for recurring payments as well as advanced multi-currency processing.

The following cart image illustrates how the Amazon Pay button is displayed on the frontend:

Klarna

Other payment opportunities were introduced with the Klarna support. More flexible payment terms are available on a checkout page with the new release. The Pay Now offering is designed to provide customers with the ability to check out quickly and securely using a direct debit or bank transfer. The feature works for the selected European markets.

The second great Klarna feature is related to the “try-before-you-buy” experience. With “Pay Later”, customers can pay up to 30 days after delivery via invoice. The rapid mobile checkout is another great improvement introduced in Magento Commerce 2.2.4.

The Slice It solution allows buyers to purchase goods paying in installments at a low-interest rate. Klarna credit solutions increase an average order value. Also, note that Klarna assumes all credit and fraud risk so that you are always paid for ordered goods. Besides, it is highly customizable in terms of the frontend appearance.

The following image displays payment options by Klarna on a checkout page:

Vertex

Another opportunity to reduce cart abandonment rate is introduced with the Vertex integration. The collaboration leads to a new transparency level in the shopping experience so that shoppers know exactly what taxes they will pay right from the cart. Vertex is a leading provider of tax technology solutions that offer automatic, real-time, and accurate sales tax calculations. Note that all the latest rules, exceptions, and taxability statuses are taken into the account.

Vertex can easily calculate taxes even if a customer uses a coupon or purchases a promotional item. Besides, the tool generates signature-ready PDF returns in a timely manner. The result of the automated tax calculation in a cart is displayed below:

Magento Shipping

Better shipping options are also a part of Magento Commerce 2.2.4. Now, you can easily access multiple shipping provides from the backend enabling their services on the frontend of your e-commerce website. Due to a vast variety of options, you can easily satisfy the need of the most demanding clients.

As for the improved backend experience, Magento Shipping streamlines multiple fulfillment processes. It improves business efficiency by enabling your team to shop for rates across multiple carriers. As a result, you can offer the best rates to your buyers. Besides, the new improvement allows setting up fulfillment automation rules as well as handling returns in an admin-friendly manner.

The ability to connect new carriers is introduced below:

Performance Improvements

Magento Commerce 2.2.4 is characterized by numerous performance improvements and fixes that lead to a much faster frontend experience. Consequently, your customers are more satisfied with your treatment. This usually leads to higher conversion rates.

These were core new features of Magento Commerce 2.2.4. We wait edgily for the new release to shed light on its benefits and core features.

License Cost

Renato Medina in this post shares his research on Magento 2 Enterprise Edition license cost. Hear at Firebear, we’ve decided that it would be great to draw your attention to this topic, so here is what we’ve got after reading the article.

The author tells that the Magento 1 EE license is no longer available. Of course, the existing Magento 1 merchants can still use it, but they will have to update to Magento 2 within three years after its launch. Magento 1 EE license fees start at $18,000 per year. For this money, the company provides enterprise-class features, top-notch performance, and rapid support. The biggest drawback of this license is that it uses a per-server model, and, according to Renato Medina, it is not the best solution, especially when you use Elastic Load Balancing instances. But what about Magento 2?

The new license is based on a revenue model. So you pay depending on how much you earn. At the same time, there are no limits on the server number, so you can fully leverage the aforementioned instances without any additional costs.

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition License Costs

Depending on your revenue, you should pay the following license costs:

up to $1M: $22k (min 2.2%);

$1M – $5M: $32k (3.2%-0.64%);

$5M – $10M: $49k (0.98%-0.49%);

$10M – $25M: $75k (0.75%-0.3%);

Since the license costs are fixed, the more you earn, the less percentage of your revenue is charged. In comparison with other ecommerce platforms, the aforementioned license costs are still competitive.

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Features: Shopping Experience

Engage your visitors with advanced shopping experience. With a feature-rich ecommerce platform, you will easily increase sales, improve conversion, and make your customers more loyal, turning them into brand advocates. Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Features related to shopping experience are:

Personalized Content

Layered Navigation and Search

Out-of-the-box Responsive Design

Short and Fast Checkout

Improved Merchandising

Advanced Content Management

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Features: Loyalty

If you think that the aforementioned features are enough to make every visitor engaged on an ecommerce website, you are mistaken. Magento Enterprise Edition 2.0 offers even more opportunities to make every buyer even more loyal. Specific Magento 2 Enterprise Edition loyalty features improve shopper engagement, stimulate repeat purchases, and reward your customers. Top loyalty options introduced in Magento EE 2.0 are:

Rewards Points

In-Store Credits

Gift Registry and Cards

Wish Lists

Private Sales

Bulk Ordering

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Features: Deployment

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition not only seamlessly integrates with third-party platforms, but provides wide opportunities when it comes to customization. Besides, it can be easily deployed in any environment. Moreover, Magento Enterprise Edition 2.0 is backed by various experts specialists ready to solve all your problems. So, the deployment features of Magento 2 EE are:

Nearly Endless Level of Customization

Seamless Integrations With All Major Third-Party Solutions

Complete Control Over Platform’s Design

Really Flexible Deployment Options

Relatively Simple Upgrades and Maintenance

Global Network of Partner

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Features: Performance and Scalability

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition is a synonym to fast-performing ecommerce websites and engaging shopping experiences. At the same time, the platform is able to handle enterprise-level traffic of every rapidly-growing enterprise, because it offers:

Comprehensive Scalability

Faster Site Performance

Large Business Support

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Features: Business Productivity

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition features provide you with the ability to streamline commerce operations without any IT support, since its backend offers easy-to-learn and agile business tools:

Simple But Yet Powerful Admin

Visual Merchandiser

Robust Reporting And Analytics Solutions

Advanced Order & Returns Management System

Enhanced Customer Account Management Tools

Support for Multiple Languages And Currencies

Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Features: Support

Last but not least, it’s necessary to mention the role of support in Magento 2 Enterprise Edition. In addition to dedicated account management, the platform offers technical support 24/7 with a strong focus on security as well as access to experts that provide consultations and technical advices. Thus, the major features related to this topic are:

Due to endless customizations and a wide variety of features, EE provides the ability to create an ultimate customer experience. As for Magento 2 Enterprise Edition, it offers database scalability, advanced search, and job queue opportunities. Web and media servers as well as caching systems are the same in case of both EE and CE.

As you can see from the following screenshot, database solutions in Magento 2 Enterprise Edition offer a number of possible configurations, up to 3 masters for separate business domains, slave DB for each master, and compatibility with MySQL Cluster (Checkout and OMS databases). For further details, check this post: Magento 2 Split Database Solution.

Another prominent Magento 2 feature available in Enterprise Edition only is the Google Tag Manager Support. Although it has been recently added in Magento CE 1.9.x, the GTM support is not a part of Magento 2 CE, but it will be probably incorporated with further releases. Check this GitHub page for details.

As for extended admin rights management features, they are available only in Magento 2 Enterprise Edition. Thus, the separation of user roles in the admin panel is unique to EE. Check the appropriate topic here.

It is also necessary to mention that Enterprise Edition will support scheduled FTP/SFTP transfer via XML. This Magento 2 feature is useful for managing very large catalogs and inventory updates. Check this GitHub source for further details.

Magento 2 Message Queue Framework is a system that provides modules with the ability to send messages to various queues. Besides, it defines consumers that receive messages asynchronously. You can find its description here: Magento 2 Message Queue Framework

Are these features enough to use Magento 2 Enterprise Edition instead of Community Edition? Definitely not, because you will get the ability to implement most of them with the help of third party solutions in CE, which is free. Magento 2 Enterprise Edition is a better option only for those merchants who run big businesses and don’t want to deal with customizations and enhancements. If you also need everything out-of-the-box and a large price tag doesn’t embarrass you then choose Magento 2 EE. Since it’s major drawback is related to expenditures, get ready to spend a tidy sum on its maintenance. As for core positive aspects, they are top notch performance, good SEO, and a wide range of marketing features.